Thank you for for picking up one of our tiny banned books!
Our design—Where the Ban Ends and the Knowledge Begins—is a celebration of the freedom to read and a stand against censorship. The tiny books you can take home are a symbol of the thousands of books we are fighting to keep on shelves. There may be a match being held to the book, but we won’t give it the power to do the burning.
The Books They're Trying to Stop Us From Reading
The books featured with our pumpkin are the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024, as compiled by the American Library Association (ALA) and other organizations. These are the books that faced the most demands to be removed from libraries and classrooms last year. Scroll down to see why!
1. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
Number of challenges: 39
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
2. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Number of challenges: 38
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
3. (TIE) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Number of challenges: 35
Challenged for: depiction of sexual assault, depiction of incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content
3. (TIE) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Number of challenges: 35
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, depiction of sexual assault, depiction of drug use, profanity
5. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
Number of challenges: 33
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit
6. (TIE) Looking for Alaska by John Green
Number of challenges: 30
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit
6. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Number of challenges: 30
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity
8. (TIE) Sold by Patricia McCormick
Number of challenges: 28
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, depiction of sexual assault
8. (TIE) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Number of challenges: 28
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, depiction of drug use
10. Flamer by Mike Curato
Number of challenges: 27
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
We believe that every reader has the right to choose what they read, and that libraries are essential spaces for exploring diverse ideas and perspectives. Books aren’t banned here in San José, and we want to keep it that way. When you support the San José Public Library Foundation, you support the our mission to ensure that everyone has equitable access to resources, ideas, and information.
About the Pumpkin Contest
The Silicon Valley Community of Nonprofits (SVCN) hosts an annual fundraising event for local nonprofits around the Bay Area each autumn, Be Our Guest. A part of the event is a pumpkin contest where decorated pumpkins are submitted to be put on display and entered into a silent auction.
Last year, our Mysterious Case of the Banned Library Books won Best Overall Pumpkin!
